Estrogen Receptor alpha and Histone Lysine Methyltransferase DOT1L chromatin bound interactome

Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα) is a ligand-inducible transcription factor that mediates estrogen signaling in hormone-responsive breast cancer (BC) and is the primary target of specific anticancer therapies. Although ERα blockade with these drugs is effective, the development of a resistance to treatment represents the key problem in clinical management of patients affected by this disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying ERα action in BC cells may help the identification of new therapeutic targets for more effective pharmacological treatment of endocrine therapy-resistant tumors. We recently discovered the epigenetic enzyme DOT1L (DOT1 Like Histone Lysine Methyltransferase) as a novel nuclear partner of ERα in BC cells. To investigate the involvement of DOT1L in mediating ERα actions in hormone-responsive and endocrine-resistant BC, physical and functional interaction between these two molecules on chromatin was mapped by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation coupled to Mass Spectrometry (ChIP-MS).